Rowling, is perhaps the most popular set of novels of the modern era. With seven books and many successful films to its name, the series has gathered about 15 billion dollars in sales. How did the series become so popular? The reason can be broken down into several areas.The first book in the series was rejected 12 times before it was picked up by Bloomsbury—a small publisher in England. So receiving this contract was Rowling's first step to success. However, getting a book contract does not ensure the success of a book. The story was soon loved by children and adults alike. In light of this, Bloomsbury Publishing published a second version of the books with “adult” (less colorful and more boring) book covers. This made it easier for a full range of ages to enjoy the series.Another factor that worked like a charm was that the publisher and Rowling herself, through the books, conducted midnight releases, promotions, and pre-ordering more readers. Customers who feared that their local bookstore would run out of copies responded by pre-ordering over 700,000 copies before the July 8, 2000 release.What does the underlined word “releases” (Para. 3) mean?

The Harry Potter series, written by J.K. Rowling, is perhaps the most popular set of novels of the modern era. With seven books and many successful films to its name, the series has gathered about 15 billion dollars in sales. How did the series become so popular? The reason can be broken down into several areas. The first book in the series was rejected 12 times before it was picked up by Bloomsbury—a small publisher in England. So receiving this contract was Rowling's first step to success. However, getting a book contract does not ensure the success of a book. The story was soon loved by children and adults alike. In light of this, Bloomsbury Publishing published a second version of the books with “adult” (less colorful and more boring) book covers. This made it easier for a full range of ages to enjoy the series. Another factor that worked like a charm was that the publisher and Rowling herself, through the books, conducted midnight releases, promotions, and pre-ordering more readers. Customers who feared that their local bookstore would run out of copies responded by pre-ordering over 700,000 copies before the July 8, 2000 release. What does the underlined word “releases” (Para. 3) mean? A. The activity that frees or expresses energy or emotion. B. The announcement about the book’s publishing information. C. The sales of books that is available only at midnight.